Legend 1985 Picture

"Once, long ago", Darkness laments his isolation. He senses the presence of two unicorns who safeguard the Power of Light, and bids his goblin servants find and destroy them. They are to bring him the unicorns' horns, to create an eternal night of cold darkness, so he can roam the lands freely.

Meanwhile Princess Lili goes alone to the forest to meet her friend Jack, who is teaching her the languages of animals. He takes her to visit the unicorns when the hidden goblins attack with a poisoned blowpipe dart, hitting the stallion. The unicorns bolt, and Lili makes light of Jack's fears and sets him a challenge by throwing her ring into a pond, declaring she will marry whoever finds it. Jack dives in and the surface freezes, causing the world to turn to ice. Jack breaks through but Lili has gone. She hides from the rampaging goblins, but when she hears them crowing that her beauty "led the beasts to bay," she swears she will make it right and goes after them.

Jack cannot find Lili, but meets the elf Honeythorn Gump, the fairy Oona, and dwarves Brown Tom and Screwball. They believe Lili is to blame for the world turning to ice, but agree to search together for her. They find the fallen stallion instead and Jack tells them that its horn must be recovered for the world to return to normal. He is shocked when Gump tells him he must be their champion, and they leave Brown Tom to guard the unicorns while they get weapons for Jack.

Lili finds the unicorns, but the goblins attack again and she is captured along with the mare. When she awakens underground, Darkness is enchanted and begins to seduce her. He tells her that her sins make her a perfect match for him and she is disgusted. He tries to impress her with promises of immortality. Furious with herself and scornful of Darkness' arrogance, Lili pretends to be mesmerized by him. She is swept into a dance, transforming from innocent to wicked, as Darkness showers her with treasure. Darkness tells her there will never be another dawn because he will kill the unicorn by sunset as light harms him. She agrees to wed Darkness if only she can kill the mare. Darkness is thrilled by the prospect and agrees, unaware of Lili's true intention. Jack and his friends have found them and overhear, giving Jack the key to Darkness' demise. From the banquet preparations they take giant metal platters to design a heliotrope to reflect light before it sets, as Lili and Darkness prepare to sacrifice the mare. But Lili frees the unicorn instead (as she planned to do all along) and Jack attacks Darkness while the others relay the light of the setting sun. Darkness shouts as he is blasted away into space by light that he can never be destroyed because he is a part of all of them.

They emerge from the underworld under a starlit sky, but Lili is enchanted. Gump restores the horn to the stallion. As the world recovers, Jack dives once again into the pond. When he puts the ring on Lili's finger, she awakens and gives it back to him. Jack and Lili running off into the sunrise together. As Gump and his companions wave goodbye, the shot fades to Darkness laughing one last time.